Uchunari coffee-Peruvian Poop Coffee

Coatis make great coffee!

In Peru, there is an adorable animal that looks like a cat/raccoon/monkey called the Coati or Uchunari. Besides being cute, these animals, like all animals, also poop. However this Coati poop is especially sought after, as it is the key to making Peruvian poop coffee.

What? Some coffee producers in Peru have turned to the Coatis in order to make a unique type of coffee. When coffee cherries ripen and turn red they attract a variety of wild animals. Among them is this small, long-nosed relative of the raccoon, the Coati.

Peruvian Poop Coffee

These animals are fed coffee cherries along with other fruits by coffee growers. Unable to be digested by the Coati’s system completely the coffee cherry is partially broken down by enzymes. Then the natural happens.

Workers carefully wash and dry this product, then mill it to extract the bean. All that remains after that is a roasting of the beans and it is ready for you! Firsthand reports say this coffee is almost devoid of bitterness, yet still full-bodied with a slight taste of various jungle fruits.

Where to buy this treat?

This coffee is definitely expensive and sells for about $20-$60 per kg. in some places. You can find it in specialty coffee shops in the Cusco region. Looking to meet a Coati yourself? Find them in the forests near Pisac, Peru.